


Bucky... Is... Alive

by HMSquared



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Reality, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Bucky Barnes Remembers, Canon Related, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Spoilers, Fights, First Kiss, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Requited Love, Reunions, Reveal, Slightly abrupt ending?, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28848747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HMSquared/pseuds/HMSquared
Summary: Steve’s past self has questions.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	Bucky... Is... Alive

“You gotta be shitting me.” Steve felt his heart drop. The 2012 version of him was standing there, triumphantly smirking.

“Tony, I’ve got Loki. 14th floor.”

“I’m not Loki.” Steve knew that with scepter in hand, he wasn’t convincing. Sure enough, his past self rushed forward and drop-kicked him.

The scepter rolled away and fell off the walkway. After a few punches and kicks, the two Steves broke the glass beneath them. They fell several stories, crashing to the pavement with a loud thump.

In the chaos, Steve’s pocket watch had fallen from his pocket. His past self saw it and froze.

“Where did you get that?” He responded with a kick to the face. Past Steve dodged and wrapped his arms around his future self’s throat. Steve could feel his airway closing.

“Bucky… is… alive.” And just like that, he let go.

Steve slowly got to his feet, scepter in hand. His past self looked utterly bewildered and no longer like a threat.

“What… what did you just say?” Oh, but how much to reveal?

“Get Fury and Hill. Tell them to dig into Alexander Pierce. While they’re doing that, ask Natasha about the Winter Soldier.” Past Steve blinked.

“How bad does it get?” His future self didn’t have an answer.

_New York City - 2014_

Loki’s disappearance quickly turned out to be the least of their problems. Fury and Hill discovered Pierce, Rumlow, Sitwell, and several others were HYDRA imbeds. Now Steve was looking at the former Secretary as he rotted in a jail cell.

They still couldn’t find Bucky. Natasha told him the Winter Soldier was an assassin credited with over two dozen kills since the 1950s. Frankly, Steve was surprised he hadn’t noticed earlier.

His nose wrinkled as he stared at Pierce’s tired face. The whole thing made his blood boil. Bucky had been alive all this time, and Steve never knew. They were best friends, how could he not know?

Thud. Steve looked up at the sound. He quickly determined it was external when the lights flickered.

Pierce glanced upward as well; his face wore a shocked smile. Steve blanched as he connected the dots. Leaping to his feet, he dashed out of the room.

There were already armed guards at the door. Something was slamming against it, something loud and heavy. Steve rushed in front of them.

“Stand down!” Everyone looked bewildered; he didn’t blame them for that. “Let me handle this… please.” To his surprise, the guards backed up. Steve turned to face the door and waited.

A grenade slammed into the door, blasting a hole in the middle. Standing on the other side, gun in hand, was Bucky.

He had on a baklava but no goggles. Steve set his jaw. This wasn’t going to end well.

“Bucky.” His friend twitched. “I’m all yours… you just need to catch me first.” And then Steve booked it down the hallway.

Bucky took the bait. They dodged and weaved through the complex, passing various offices. Surprisingly, his only target was Steve. Anyone else who happened to be there quickly moved along.

There was a dark staircase at the end of the hallway, leading from the current floor to the roof. Steve rushed inside and locked the roof door. When he turned back around, Bucky was standing there.

“Any last words?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry.” Then Steve lunged.

Bucky flew down the stairs and slammed into the door. The gun in his hands rolled away. Steve winced.

“Bucky, can you hear me?” He threw a sloppy punch. Dodging it easily, Steve pulled Bucky’s head away from the door. He smiled sadly. “If you want to shoot me, go right ahead.” And then he kissed the Winter Soldier.

His lips were soft. Steve’s hands didn’t wander. Eyes squeezed shut, he waited for a bullet to the chest.

It didn’t come. Bucky’s eyes were wide as saucers. The HYDRA programming in him shattered. He snapped back into reality.

Steve was kissing him. Steve freaking Rogers was kissing him. And he wasn’t responding.

Bucky pushed back. The ice in his head melted, never to return.


End file.
